Could Hot Ones win an Emmy? Sean Evans hopeful for his YouTube show where stars get loose
Host of YouTube talk show where celebrities from Lady Gaga to Bad Bunny eat chicken and let their guard down says Emmy eligibility ‘overdue’
In a recent episode of Hot Ones Versus, actor Hailee Steinfeld looked at her Sinners co-star Michael B. Jordan with a mix of shock and amusement, and asked, “What the f*** is this? This is press for our movie?”
It is a question that has probably been asked before in the 10 years that Hot Ones, and subsequent spin-offs like Hot Ones Versus, have been pushing out episodes on YouTube.
The concept is both simple and outrageous – an interview done while guests eat a series of chicken wings of increasing spice levels, often with disorienting discomfort – and the show has become a popular sensation and an essential stop on the modern celebrity promotional tour.
The show has also become a great business; in 2024 Evans and co-creator Chris Schonberger were part of a group of investors who bought First We Feast, the studio behind Hot Ones, for more than US$82 million .